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TAHLEQUAH, OK - Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief Hastings Shade donated supplies and equipment to the Cherokee Nation Early Childhood Unit at the end of October. Shade donated educational

CNO employees Randall Hicks, Lynn Davis, Deputy Chief Hastings Shade, Ramona Drew, Evelyn Conley and Sandra Turner sort through a stack of paper products the Deputy Chief donated to the Head Start Programs.

equipment and materials as well as paper goods for the holiday events at the Early Childhood Unit, which oversees the Cherokee Nation’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Shade’s office has a membership to the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR), a not-for-profit collector and distributor of new, donated overstock inventory, from U.S. corporations, to schools and nonprofit organizations.

"The membership to NAEIR lets the deputy chief’s office order five times per year paying only the membership dues and shipping and handling. The merchandise itself is free," said Evelyn Conley, who takes care of the membership to NAEIR and community coordinator for the deputy chief’s office.

Not only did the Early Childhood Unit benefit from the products, Sequoyah High School also received several boxes of the merchandise.

"The deputy chief would also like to see the communities outlying the Cherokee Nation jurisdictional area, those that are often overlooked, benefit from this program also," said Conley. "Churches in the communities and those needing supplies to fix up barns, gates, fences, and bathrooms, would really benefit from this program."

NAEIR was founded in 1977 by Norbert C. Smith, a former business executive, who discovered that corporations have millions of dollars worth of new, excess inventory sitting on warehouse shelves. These products build from production overruns, discounted models, styles and colors, and changes in the public’s buying tastes.

A 1976 tax law made NAEIR possible, by giving corporations an above-cost federal income tax deduction when they donate new inventory to charity. Mr. Smith started NAEIR to match this valuable merchandise to deserving schools and nonprofit organizations.

NAEIR has successfully collected and placed over $950 million worth of new, top-quality donated products. For more information about NAEIR, contact Conley at (918) 456-0671, ext. 2201.